About Shop One
Shop One is more than a physical building. It’s a place to stimulate water connections so that we can all experience a One Water future. All water is connected, and all we have now is all there will ever be – we can’t create more of it. By changing the way we think about and use this finite resource, we can improve quality of life for us all. That’s what Shop One is for.
Shop One is a community space to stimulate water connections and engage and empower water stewards. The historic building has had many uses over the years to support the Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District’s mission to protect public health and the environment.
This flexible, community-oriented space in Madison, Wisconsin, is located on the Nine Springs Wastewater Treatment Plant campus at 1610 Moorland Road. The building is in development as a place for the community to gather, learn and explore water connections.
History of Shop One
The Shop One building has a rich history of adaptation, having had many uses over the years to support the Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District’s mission as regulations and needs change.
The next iteration of this building will support outreach, expand the boundaries of the treatment plant and deepen water stewardship in the area. The call for this building’s next evolution is to be repurposed into a flexible, community-oriented space to help the District tell our story, remember history, connect with the community and look to the future.
2022
Looking Ahead to the Next Phase
Plans and initiatives for outreach, connections, exploration and stewardship related to water recycling and treatment continue. An artist/educator in residence program is launched.
2021
Catalytic Projects Launch
Intended to stimulate community conversations around water and water stewardship through shared water stories, catalytic projects will pave the way for expanding access to the treatment plant and ultimately the One Water paradigm, using arts and cultural strategies.
2019
Building Renovations
Interior renovations continue to make the space functional for tour groups and meetings. Plans are beginning to come together for how this space might operate in the future.
2018
SEE-IT Scholarship
In 2018, the District was awarded a scholarship from the Water Research Foundation, Water Environment Association and the National Association of Clean Water Agencies to visit other utilities with an innovation of interest.District staff visited four other utilities to learn about and see their approaches to inviting the public to the wastewater treatment plant. This was the first of many steps in visioning how Shop One might look and function.
2015
Maintaining Aging Infrastructure
With a growing service area and aging infrastructure demanding attention from mechanic crews, the Shop is starting to reach its capacity, and the District needs a new space to house all the mechanical, electrical, sewer maintenance and monitoring functions. A new maintenance facility is built, and the user charge program grows
1990-2000s
Preparing a Modern Workforce
With a growing service area and aging infrastructure demanding attention from mechanic crews, the Shop is starting to reach its capacity, and the District needs a new space to house all the mechanical, electrical, sewer maintenance and monitoring functions. A new maintenance facility is built, and the user charge program grows
1986
7th Edition Upgrades
With construction completed on a new operations building (circa 1982) and a new pump house with ultraviolet disinfection, Shop One is converted into a maintenance shop.
1972
Clean Water Act
The Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972, later known as the Clean Water Act, was passed, giving the Environmental Protection Agency authority to implement pollution control programs such as water quality standards for wastewater treatment plants. This landmark legislation changed the way that many treatment plants, including Nine Springs, operate.
1960-1970
Multi-Purpose Uses
During this period of time, not only was this building the primary effluent pump house, it also housed the District laboratory, chlorination room and plant superintendent’s office.
1957
Effluent Pump House Constructed
Prior to the construction of this building, treated water from the plant flowed by gravity along the edge of what is now known as the District’s Wildlife Viewing Area, to the Yahara River upstream of Lake Waubesa. Changes in regulations required pumping treated effluent greater distances, and the District’s first pump house, what is now Shop One’s physical building, was constructed.
1930
Regional authority to protect Lakes Established
In 1928, the Nine Springs Wastewater Treatment Plant was up and running at a capacity of 5 million gallons per day. By 1930, it was decided that a regional wastewater authority was needed to protect the chain of lakes from raw sewage and Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District was established.
